47

A few of the others had to admit what John said was true.

"Now look here," John said then.

He went to stand next to Champ Noland, who was the tallest and broadest man on the whole plantation.

John came up to about the middle of Champ's neck but he was so skinny that it would have taken four of him to match the big man's girth. Everybody in the room could see that Champ was more like a squat barrel where John was tall like a blade of grass.

The men broke out laughing and I was proud that I was the one who found Tall John and brought him into our midst.

But even then I wondered at the many faces of my new friend. In front of the master he was a cowering slave wanting nothing but the master's approval. With Albert and the rest of the slaves he was a wise-cracking joker outthinking us but at the same time making us laugh. When we were alone he sounded like an educated white person from some far-off city like Atlanta or Charleston. But not only that when we were together John acted as if we were always meant to be friends.

When we were walking toward the slave quarters after seeing Tobias, John had said to me, "I'm glad that we found each other at last, Forty-seven."

"How do you know my name, boy?" I'd replied.

"I've known who you were since before you born, son. All this time I've been doing your job. Pretty soon now I think you'll be doing mine."

"Well," I'd said, "seein' that we's both slaves I guess one thing's the same as t'other."

John laughed out loud and slapped my arm. Then we got to the slave quarters, where he told us about the barrel and the blade of grass.

"Okay," Albert said, finally, after much laughter about John's riddle-like argument. "Time to hit the hay. I'm gonna move Champ over to bunk with Thirty-two and I'm gonna put Number Twelve and Forty-seven in the same cot." "Why you wanna do that?" Seven, who we also knew as Charlie Baylor, asked. "Forty-seven and this new boy is small. It'a make more sense to put them with big men like me so we could have some room when we tryin' t'sleep."

"Sleep is the last thing you need, Charlie Baylor. Every time I sen' some'un to look for you they find you nappin' under some cotton bush."

The slaves all laughed then. I could see in Charlie's face that he didn't like being made fun of but I also knew that Mud Albert was free to say anything he wanted as long as Champ Noland was there to back him up.

So John and I were given the lower bunk nearest Mud Albert's brass bed. Champ went around chaining everybody to the bolts in the floor. After a while Mr. Stewart came in to check our chains. All he did was go to the foot of each cot and shake the chains. He didn't even notice that there was a new boy in the cabin.

After Mr. Stewart was gone Albert snuffed out the lanterns and so there was only one candle for light. He took this candle and came to sit next to our bunk. "Tall John is it?" he asked my friend. "You bettah believe it, brothah," John replied. His smiling teeth flashed in the flickering light.

"You evah hear tell of the one dey call High John the Conqueror?" Albert asked.

"You mean the trickster from Africa who makes fun'a the mastah an' who means to free alia the slaves an' bring'em back home?" John answered and asked.

"That's the one. They say that High John was sent by ancient African gods to bring us slaves back home to where our mothers' is still waitin' for us," Albert said. "If'n I put high in yo' name instead'a tall dat might jes' be you."

"I haven't come here to free the slaves, Mud Albert," John said, no longer joking or making light. "I came here to find Forty-seven. He has more interest in freeing slaves than do I."

These words made Albert bend forward and peer closely at my new friend.

"Be careful, boy," Albert said then. "You might think you so skinny dat you kin slip through any crack but you can get cut down by the reaper jes' like all the rest."

"I heah ya, boss," John replied, once again smiling and cracking wise.

"This ain't no foolin', boy," Albert said in his most serious tone. "These white folks'll kill a smart-mouf nigger like you an' then sit down to Sunday suppah."

The smile on John's face faded then. But he didn't look scared. It was more like he felt sorry for Albert's fear.

Albert walked over to his bed then. I saw his dark form for a moment and then he blew out the candle, making the room pitch black. After that the men all fell asleep quickly. They were tired from their labors and the cabin was soon filled with the sounds of snores and heavy breathing. In only a few minutes it seemed that I was the only one left awake.

I should have been asleep too. I had worked hard that day too. But I was wide awake because of Tall John. Every day before in the slave quarters was the same. Up before dawn. Work, work, work and then work harder. And then back to the bunk, where sleep came down like a hammer. We never laughed before sleep or had conversations with Master on a country path.

John was something new and this lit a fire in my mind that would not go out.